


How To Meet The Man Of Your Dreams And Probably Not Die In The Process

by AsagiStilinski



Series: YOI Spooky Week 2019 [7]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Caretaking, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Character's Name Spelled as Yuri, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Dom Katsuki Yuuri, Dom/sub Undertones, Established Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Humor, M/M, Mates, Meet-Cute, Nurse Katsuki Yuuri, Pet Names, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Sick Character, Sick Victor Nikiforov, Sickfic, Sub Victor Nikiforov, Victor Nikiforov Flirts, Victor Nikiforov Has No Chill, Victor Nikiforov Is In Love, Victor Nikiforov Speaks Russian, Victor Nikiforov is Extra, Werewolf Katsuki Yuuri, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Yuri Plisetsky Swears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-22 16:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21305234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Viktor is 90% sure that he's about to die, the fact that Yuri Plisetsky and his boyfreind have dragged him to the E.R. at two in the morning is probably a good indicator of that, but the cute nurse in the poodle scrubs issocute andsonice that maybe, just maybe, that 10% of certainty that heisn'tgoing to die is actually rightOr: Yuri Katsuki is just minding his own business when his newest patient falls madly in love with him
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Series: YOI Spooky Week 2019 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530083
Comments: 6
Kudos: 199
Collections: Yuri!!! on Ice Spooky Week 2019





	How To Meet The Man Of Your Dreams And Probably Not Die In The Process

**Author's Note:**

> YOI Spooky Week day four- free space! I owe this in part to Venom for urging me on to write an otherwise dumb idea xD
> 
> Enjoy over 10K of Viktor pining and Yuri being the world's softest nurse
> 
> Russian translations can be found in the bottom notes

Viktor was dieing

He knew it

He wasn't even exaggerating, he really, honestly, felt like he was dieing

He had never been in this much pain- .. well... never this much pain caused by an illness, atleast- before and he wasn't sure if he was even going to live through it

His head was pounding, his entire body was sore- to put it mildly- and his throat was on _fire_, every breath ached, every word hurt, even keeping his eyes open was killing him just a little bit more with every passing second, and he felt so sick to his stomach that he really might just puke in Yuri's car like he originally threatened when Yuri and Otabek dragged him out of his safe, warm, bed and into the steel box of death he was currently inhabiting

"Oi Viktor! If you die on me back there I'm going to fucking kill you, understand?"

Viktor really hoped a quiet groan of acknowledgement would suffice

He didn't know how Yuri planned to kill him if he was already dead but knowing Yuri? He'd find a way

The car slowed to a stop and Viktor became vaguely aware of the fact that he was going to have to move soon and that really, _really_, wasn't sitting well with him

"Thanks Beka, I've got this asshole, you just park and come in after ok?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine,"

Surely enough, the front door opened and closed, then, a second later, his own door was being opened, and Yuri was staring at him with a mix of tiredness, annoyance, and a little bit of worry

...

Well would you look at that? Yuri Plisetsky cared

"Come on fuckass, you're not dead yet," he insisted, unclipping Viktor's seatbelt for him and forcing him out of the car

"No but I FEEL dead.... Yura.... why does it hurt so badly?"

Viktor didn't notice it, especially with all the man-handling, but Yuri flinched

He definitely flinched

He wasn't used to hearing Viktor talk like that, he wasn't used to Viktor being so vulnerable and weak

Viktor had always been a figure of confidence and vitality, even in the worst of situations, he always managed to uphold a certain level of strength

But now that strength was entirely gone and he was just dead weight and pain, letting Yuri half drag him to the hospital entrance

Yuri wasn't sure how to handle it

He wasn't sure how to handle _any_ of this actually, all he knew was that Viktor was in bad shape

He wouldn't have run out at almost two in the morning to the hospital otherwise

Sure he had been sick for a few days and he complained about it here and there, but that wasn't anything to worry about

It was when he had passed by Viktor's room and heard him crying that he knew something was deeply, intensely wrong

Viktor _never_ cried- not unless it concerned his dog or some other animal, those were the exceptions

But other than that....

Yuri had known Viktor most of his life and he had never heard him cry over anything else, least of all pain

Even when he broke his arm a few years back, he hadn't shed a tear

This....

Yuri didn't want to admit to being worried but here he was

"I'm fine Yura, really, let's no-"

"Oh _fuck no_ Viktor, I did NOT bust my ass out of the house at this time of night for you to pretend to be ok and convince me to turn around, even if you ARE ok I'm shacking you up in the hospital and making them pump you full of drugs just so I can feel like this accomplished something, you got that?"

"Gee, I didn't know you could _make_ a hospital do _anything_,"

"Maybe _you_ can't,"

That seemed to be enough to shut him up for now

A bit of a shot below the belt but Yuri didn't care

He only cared about getting Viktor out of the proverbial woods now, and now that they were inside, that was looking more and more possible

"Hi, how can I help you?"

.. Right... there was a small reception desk right before the main doors, in some sort of lobby, Yuri guessed he'd have to go through here before he could get Viktor to a doctor...

"He's sick as hell, what do I do?" he answered

The nurse, a man maybe around Yuri's age with dark russet skin and coal black hair, smiled with such warmth and sweetness that it actually made Yuri want to cringe

"Aw I'm sorry to hear that, I just need to get some information and then I can get him admitted ok? What's his name?"

"Viktor Nikiforov- V.I.K.-"

Viktor, in the mean time, mostly zoned out

There was a chill going up his spine and it wasn't from the illness

Something about being here unnerved him, he'd never been the _best_ around hospitals and medicine but it was usually bravado that kept him from relaxing, now it was actual _fear_, an uneasiness that he couldn't put into words

Not only had he never been sick enough to require this much attention before- wich already had him reeling- but he had never been to a hospital at night before either, and god was it terrifying

The place was mostly empty, but that just added to the surreality of it, the creeping sensation that something was wrong, he almost wished the hospital was fuller, more active, to distract from the tenseness of it all

"Hey, dumbass, when's your birthday?"

Yuri nudged him, and he snapped back to attention

"Um... Christmas...."

"I know that, I meant what year?"

What year?

.... What year...?

"I don't... remember... I'm 27, does that help?"

"Ah fuck... that's ah.... 92? December 25th, 1992," Yuri announced

"Aww a Christmas baby? That's adorable, well Christmas Baby, I need you to put your finger here, ok?"

Viktor glanced up, staring at a little box-like clip that the nurse was holding towards him

"It won't hurt, I promise, it's just to check your pulse," the nurse smiled warmly

Sluggishly, he pressed his finger into the device, watching it for a moment- it did nothing, atleast nothing he could tell

"Very good!"

Atleast the nurse seemed pleased though

"Now I have to ask everyone this, it's mandatory, do you feel safe at home?"

.. What kind of question was that?

Viktor must have looked every bit as confused as he felt, the nurse seemed to take sympathy on him and repeated himself

"Sorry, legal reasons, do you feel safe in your home?"

"I.. guess so? Yes? Yes, my head just hurts, that's all,"

"Ok, we'll get you looked at soon, I promise, I just need to ask some more questions,"

Great.... he decided to let Yuri answer those

The nurse had kept good on his promise, starting to go down a line of even more questions, but Viktor didn't hear them

He was distracted by the doors opening

Someone was walking in, looking about as nervous as he felt, and approached the second nurse on the other side of the desk

_"I'm checking myself in for the psych ward,"_

Ah... Viktor needed to not listen in, that would be wrong, he tried to tune back into the conversation Yuri was having with the nurse but only managed to catch a few things here and there

"-started on Sunday and has been getting worse since, we thought it was just a cold but-"

Hn... he didn't want to hear it anymore

_"Any hallucinations? Hearing voices?"_

_"Yeah, but.. I mostly ignore them..."_

The doors opened again, someone in scrubs walked by and waved to the nurses

The one talking to Yuri waved back

Before the doors closed behind her he could hear a weird sort of... howling sound....

It wasn't an animal, it wasn't human either, it wasn't the wind or ... or.... _what the fuck was it?_

Tensing, he instinctively held himself closer to Yuri, feeling an odd wave of anxiety wash over him

Strange... Viktor didn't get anxious

He got depressed, sure, and worried from time to time but ... not this, not anxiety, it felt wrong, it felt bad, it felt like his world was spinning out of control and he just wanted it to _stop-_

"Hey can you get him a chair or something? He's going to break my fucking shoulders if he keeps hanging on me,"

"Yeah ofcourse, but we have to finish filling this out before anyone can see him, can you stay a minute? Let a nurse take him inside?"

"Yeah, sure, why the fuck not?"

The doors were closed, the girl in scrubs had scanned her key card against the second set of doors and walked in, but Viktor could swear he was still hearing that sound...

He was trembling now, dammit.... dammit...

"Viktor? _Viktor!_"

Blinking, he lifted his head, staring at Yuri in confusion

"Huh...?"

"I _said_, put your social security number in this thing,"

Oh.. there was a little keypad in front of him now

....

"I don't remember it... I haven't memorized it yet..."

"What? Viktor for fuck's sake..."

"It's still new..."

"It's been seven fucking years!"

"What about insurance?" the nurse suddenly asked, apparently trying to settle the argument that was beginning

"Oh, yes! I have that!"

"Great, do you have your card?"

There was a pause, during wich, Viktor simply stared, trying to remember where he had left his wallet...

"I'm guessing not... ok, that's still fine, I can still work with this, we can figure something out, just put this on for me ok? And I'll get a nurse for you,"

The nurse pushed some sort of sticker papper towards him, then leaned over and peeled off a strip at the top, gently taking Viktor's wrist and wrapping the strip- a hospital bracelet, he decided- around it

Ugh, he couldn't even look at it, he felt sick

"If it's not designer, I don't want it..." Viktor mumbled miserably, hearing the faint huff of Yuri calling him an "extra ass bitch" but not even caring

Glancing beside him, he made note of the fact that the stranger- the one checking into the psych ward- was still there too, apparently handling things better than he was, as Viktor noticed him typing something into the keypad

_"Yuri! I need you!"_

Oh, the nurse... was calling for Yuri...?

"I'm right here, what do you need me for?" Yuri huffed irritably

Surprised, the nurse glanced up, absolutely glowing with amusement as he unclipped Viktor's finger from the pulse-reader

"Your name is Yuri too? Oh that's funny, it'll get confusing though, can we call you something else?"

"No,"

"What's your last name?"

"Bite my ass,"

"That's a funny last name, ok, how about we call you Yurio?"

"What!? No!"

Viktor would have laughed

If he didn't feel like he was falling apart from the inside out, he would have laughed

The doors leading into the hospital opened, and when Viktor looked up, he found the first thing that actually made him feel better all night

The nurse was so _beautifull_

Short, dark hair, dark eyes, big blue-framed glasses..... and he was wearing POODLE. SCRUBS.

Viktor was going to die

He looked so gentle and sweet and Viktor just wanted to hug him- or be hugged _by_ him, and he felt like he was just going to fall to peices by being in the mere presence of such a perfect human being

If he even _was_ a human being, he might be an angel

"Oh fucking finally, here, take this, he's about to snap me in half," Yurio grumbled, giving Viktor an admittedly gentle shove forward- more like a nudge, to get him uprooted from his spot

Viktor stumbled, and the pretty angel in poodle scrubs was there a second later

"Don't worry, I've got you," he said softly, his voice smooth and soft, like a warm a blanket wrapping around Viktor and comforting him

Viktor wanted to break down in tears- but he didn't, he kept himself quiet, only giving a jerking nod as the nurse helped him into the weelchair

"I love your scrubs," he said suddenly, his voice hoarse and scratchy and not at all like the smooth Russian vodka he was so used to it sounding like

"Yeah? Thank you, poodles are my favorite animal,"

"Mine too... mine's named Makkachin,"

"Oh you have one? That's so nice, mine is Vicchan,"

Vicchan?

That... that sounded like Viktor!!

"I'm Viktor, did you name him after me?" Viktor smiled weakly, glancing over his shoulder as the nurse pushed him through the double doors, a soft, bell like laugh ringing from his voice

"Well I actually _did_ name him after _a_ Victor, did you ever see Corpse Bride?"

"Did I?" Viktor grinned, his lighting up- well as much as they _could_ light up when he felt like his head was exploding

"Oh I love that movie, I'm a huge Tim Burton fan, you named him after Victor Von Dort? That is the coolest thing I've ever heard,"

"Well thank you," he smiled gently, parking the chair near the back wall of the waiting room where a small desk with a computer on it and a couple of other chairs- of the stationary variety- were

"I'm Yuri, by the way,"

"Well it's nice to meet you, Yuri By The Way," Viktor smirked

"Oh, ok, you're one of _those_ then," Yuri snorted playfully

And god even his name....

_Yuri_

It rolled right off of Viktor's tongue, it tasted sweet, it was somehow completely different from the Russian Yuri he was used to

This Yuri was far more unique

"Afraid so, chronic user of bad jokes,"

"Well I can't fault you for that, I like bad jokes myself," Yuri hummed, reaching out to help Viktor out of the weelchair and into one of the chairs that were pressed against the wall

"Ah, I've got it, I'm really fine,"

No, he wasn't, but he would fake it so he could appear moderately less like a total weakling in front of the gorgeous nurse

His hands may have been shaking as he pushed himself up, but atleast he was doing it

"I'm sure you are, but it would reflect badly on me if- by some small chance- you fell, and you wouldn't want me to get in trouble, would you Viktor?"

Ahh....

Yuri was so sweet and gentle..... how could Viktor be anything but completely awestruck by him?

Giving his head a nervous shake,- ugh, bad idea, his head was already pounding and _now_..- he allowed Yuri to help him up and into the other chair

Probably a good idea considering how off balance he felt

And damn.... _damn_... now he wasn't just aching and unbalanced, he was dizzy too....

His breathing was a little ragged, he felt even worse than he had a few minutes ago, as if that simple action of standing up- breif as it was- had completely drained him

Damn.....

"Thank you Viktor, I appreciate your help," Yuri smiled warmly, and Viktor smiled back- not forced, but genuine, somehow, despite all the pain

"I'm going to get some information from you now, ok Viktor? Can you give me your hand please?"

Viktor leaned back, extending his hand as asked and watching as Yuri clipped one of those things to his finger again

"Ah, this again..."

"Yeah, Phichit already clipped you huh? Well that's alright, you can never be too sure when it comes to your heart,"

Viktor had a feeling that Yuri knew very well he had already been "clipped", but he appreciated the show of ignorance anyway

"Oh I think I can be very sure when it comes to my heart, my heart has never lead me astray before,"

Yuri, who had just sat down at the little desk, stared at Viktor with a flushed, stunned expression, before it softened once more into the warmth that the nurse seemed to exude

"That's good to hear, I bet that's come in handy when making hard decisions huh? Like needing to come to the ER?" he asked, grabbing some sort of little remote... thingy...... and scanning Viktor's bracelet with it

Suddenly he knew what groceries must feel like

"Oh this wasn't my decision, no, Yuri dragged me out of bed damn near kicking and screaming,"

If he'd had the energy to kick and scream anyway

Really, the fact that he couldn't fight off Yuri and Otabek should have been the first clue that something was dangerously wrong

"Yuri...? Oh, is that your blonde freind? The one checking you in?"

"Yeah, he's more like a brother really, but.. yeah, your freind- Phichit? the other nurse?- he named him Yurio to avoid confusion, I guess I'd better start using it,"

"Oh you don't need to do th-"

"It'll be much easier I assure you, and he's fine with it,"

Well, that was a little white lie but who cares?

Yuri- _Yurio_\- was probably still making Yuri's freind regret his life choices so there was no need to squabble about it now

"Ok Viktor," Yuri said softly, a slight sigh in his voice, like how a tired but compassionate parent might deal with an overly excited child

"Can you start by telling me what brought you in this evening?"

"Yeah, Yurio,"

...

Ok, Yuri was staring at him disapprovingly now, bad time for a joke

"Um.... headache," he replied blandly

....

Wow, more disapproval, this took a turn rather quickly

"...Headache and.. body aches.... sore throat...."

Now Yuri was actually starting to type, but it was clear that he wasn't going to let Viktor go with half-truths and omissions of full honesty

".. Fatigue, nausea, feeling like I've got a two hundred pound weight on top of me.... I'm sorry to complain..."

"You're not complaining Viktor, you're helping me diagnose you, you're doing very well, keep going, ok?"

God his voice was soft

Viktor had always preferred soft voices to the harsher, louder ones he was used to but damn, this one was just.... _otherworldly_

"That's it, not really much coughing or anything like that, it's mostly pain,"

"And where's the worst of it?"

"Definitely my head, it feels like it's being drilled into,"

And the insanely bright, fluorescent lights of the E.R. weren't helping with that, but he knew Yuri couldn't do anything about that particular problem

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, that really sucks, I know,"

....

Was Viktor hearing things?

...

Was he hallucinating?

.......

"D-Did you just ... call me sweetheart?"

Yuri paused, mid-type, and stared at Viktor over his computer screen

"O-Oh, yeah I just- ... well I alway-"

"Do it again," Viktor demanded immediately, feeling as excited and enthralled as he possibly _could_ feel when he was this sick

"I haven't heard that word in _so long_.... do it again? ...Please?" he added, just for good measure

Yuri seemed stunned for a moment, before his expression warmed again and he gently placed his hand on top of Viktor's

"You're doing really well sweetheart, keep being honest with me and I promise I'll help you, ok?"

Viktor wanted to cry

He had been wanting to cry on and off for two days now but this was the first time it was because of something _good_ and not from pain

He nodded carefully, immediately wincing at the agony that followed and offering Yuri a meek smile

"That's good, thank you Viktor, can you tell me when all of this started?"

"Ah.... well I started feeling kind of bad last Tuesday but it wasn't until Sunday that I really started feeling this sick,"

Yuri paused again, a stunned and slightly mortified look on his face as he glanced at Viktor once more

".... _Last_ Tuesday? .. As in the 13th?"

"Um.... I think so? Why, what is today?"

"The 22nd,"

"Yeah, sounds about right then,"

"And have you seen a doctor during any of this time?"

Yuri sounded so hopefull, practically pleading, Viktor hated to disappoint him but....

"Ah... no?"

"_Why?_ You have insurance, really _good_ insurance, why would you suffer for over a week without getting checked out?"

"Can I be honest here for a minute?"

"I encourage it," Yuri replied flatly

Viktor exhaled, leaning forward, as if telling a secret- even though it kind of wasn't

"I fucking hate doctors.... and medicine.... and hospitals.... honestly? Just being here right now? It's giving me the creeps, you're the only thing keeping me sane, but how was I to know that my nurse would be an actual angel? And I still haven't seen the worst of it yet,"

Yuri looked so unimpressed that it was actually a little concerning, but then he sighed and that lovely, soft expression was back- albeit concerned and a little displeased

"I understand where you're coming from Viktor, and truthfully I'm not the biggest fan of being a patient either, but _this_ is not good, can you promise me that in the future you won't wait so long to see someone? Maybe next time you can avoid a graveyard E.R. visit?"

Hell no, Viktor was absolutely not promising that

"If there _is_ a next time then I will do whatever I can to bring myself into your care in an appropriate manner of time Yuri,"

_That_ he could promise

".... I'm not totally sure I like the sound of that, you're one of those reckless extremists who make it hard for me to sleep at night, I want you to know that,"

Oh

Yuri's tone could be both softer than angel feathers.... _and_ sharper than a fucking sword

Good to know

"Yuri that wounds me,"

"Knowing you've been in pain this long without even _trying_ to get treatment wounds _me_," Yuri countered, his tone a little less sharp than before but still not as soft as it had originally been

"I hope you've been taking medicine though, atleast?"

"Yeah, nothing prescription though, just over the counter stuff,"

"Ok, such as?"

"Ah... Excedrin for my head... um... allergy pills but I don't remember what they're called.. Yurio might know... antacids... I don't remember if I've taken anything else or not...."

"Anything in the last few hours?"

"A shit ton of Excedrin yeah,"

Yuri paused again, a distressed look on his face, silently begging Viktor to retract that last statement

"...I mean three?"

"Was it actually three Viktor?"

"In the last three hours? Yeah, three, I think,"

"Ok, that's..... alright,"

Viktor could just _sense_ that the "You're going to put me in an early grave" accusation was hanging on Yuri's tongue

He hated knowing that, but Yuri wanted honesty so he was being honest

He knew it was bad to take that much medicine at once and normally he would have tried to ride out the agony, but this time....

He had been _screaming_ before he took the third one, atleast now the pain was manageable enough that he could be conscious without begging for death

"I'm sorry Yuri... it just ... it was so painfull.... I couldn't handle it anymore,"

Yuri seemed to appreciate that bit of truth, the warmth touching his features again as he reached out to squeeze Viktor's hand

"I understand Viktor, you did what you had to do to not lose your mind, I may not approve of it but I do understand it, just please be carefull ok? And tell me that you aren't taking any other pain relievers?"

"No, I'm reckless, not suicidal," he teased

"Thank god for that..."

Somehow, Yuri's releif was amusing to Viktor, bringing a slight snicker to him, even though Yuri had to pull his hand away to type right after

"Have you had a fever recently? Do you know?"

"Not sure... Yurio said I was cold to the touch, I _feel_ cold,"

"Mmm... what about dizziness?"

"Got it,"

"Any problems with vision? Blacking out?"

"No, luckily,"

"Vomiting?"

"Nope,"

Can't puke if you don't eat- atleast that was what Viktor was going on the last few days after he spent all of Monday night on the bathroom floor praying he wouldn't have to deal with _that_

"Are you on any other medication? Any prescriptions?"

"No, just symptom relievers, the ones I told you about,"

"Ok, good, what about allergies? Are you allergic to any medication?"

"Benadryl,"

Nodding, Yuri finished putting that into the system before moving his rolling chair away from the desk and closer to Viktor

"Ok sweetheart, you mentioned your throat being sore? I'm going to put my fingers on your neck and see if your glands are swollen, is that ok?"

80% of Viktor was dieing, but it was the 20% that was still alive and well and focused entirely on Yuri that had control of the brain currently and that 20% _really_ wanted to make a horrendous comment about Yuri feeling his glands

...

He'd been spending too much time with Chris....

"Y-Yeah, that's fine,"

"Perfect, thank you Viktor,"

You know what? Viktor would let Yuri do whatever the fuck he wanted to him just to keep getting praised like that, just to keep hearing his name on Yuri's sweet, angelic, perfect voice

He'd let Yuri operate on him fully conscious if it would get him lots of praise and sweet words and petnames

Should he be concerned by that? Maybe, but he couldn't bring himself to care

Yuri's hands were so soft, warm too, and extremely gentle

It hurt like hell but Viktor didn't care, he was more than used to biting back the pain and would continue to do so for as long as Yuri was touching him

"Oh honey, you're so swollen... no wonder you don't feel well, this must be killing you..."

"A small death is nothing to fear at the hands of an angel," Viktor replied, despite the fact that talking- wich had already been questionable and had now moved into the full on "nope" category- was severely unpleasant, he couldn't help himself

Yuri paused, leveling a stare at him that was somewhere crossed between surprised, confused, and concerned

But not necessarily displeased

"... Ok sweetie, you almost certainly have a fever,"

..................Was that some kind of slam against his pick up line!?!

Mouth dropping open, Viktor watched in horror as Yuri moved away to type his findings into the computer

"I'm going to take your temperature next, ok?"

"Ah, yes Yuri," he nodded, watching in disinterest as the nurse moved to get the digital thermometer from where it was hanging on the wall- wich kind of amused Viktor actually....

"I can't help but notice all of your medical records are from Russia, how long ago did you move here?"

"Seven years ago,"

"And no doctor huh?"

"Oh sweet Yuri, if I hadn't broken my arm as a teenager, I wouldn't have been since I was about ten,"

Yuri deadpanned, thermometer in hand, staring at Viktor in total lack of amusement

"Are you really trying to boast to me about that?"

.... Was that not impressive in the United States....?

"...... No.....?"

"Yes you were," Yuri snorted, moving closer again and gently tapping Viktor's jaw

"Under your tongue sweetheart,"

... Dammit that was also good material for a come-on, but he resisted, opening his mouth and letting Yuri slide the thermometer in

Even when he was on death's door he couldn't help thinking about how much he wished the nurse was sliding something considerably thicker into his mouth instead...

"I can't really preach to you about keeping up with consistent doctor visits, hell even I don't do that, but I find it very hard to believe that you've gone all this time and _this_ is the first time you've been sick, I can be flexible about check-ups but when it comes to being sick, you really need to take that more seriously,"

Viktor pouted, resisting the rather strong urge to roll his eyes

With the need to keep his mouth shut- literally-, Yuri had him as a captive audience, and he was obviously going to use that to his advantage

"I get it, you know, seeing a doctor isn't exactly the fashion statement of the year in Japan, there are alot of social components to things like that there, alot of stigmas and reasons to tread lightly with it, so I can understand why you're hesitant, if Russia is anything like that, but there comes a time when you need to shake off the bravado and just take care of yourself, ok? I like you Viktor, but I don't want to see you in my E.R. again,"

He pulled the thermometer out, just in time for Viktor to make another quip

"_Your_ E.R. huh? Sexy,"

Atleast that seemed to amuse Yuri as he popped the guard off of the thermometer and into the trash, moving back to his computer again and mumbling 102.6 under his breath

"So uh... Japan... are you from there?"

"Yeah, I only moved when I was nineteen, so we just past the five year mark,"

"That's pretty neat, Japan is a lovely country, I've never been but I've heard alot about it, did you come here all alone?"

"I did, I got in on a nursing program actually,"

"Oh, is that why you're a nurse?"

"Nope, just a lucky coincidence,"

"How come you moved?"

Yuri smiled again, pushing away from his desk a third time and moving back towards Viktor with an otoscope

"I'll answer that if you open your mouth for me and say 'ah',"

Oh damn, oh damn, the nurse was _setting him up_ for these pick-up lines wasn't he?

But this time they didn't get that far, they were interrupted by a very familiar voice before Viktor could introduce Yuri to his oral fixation

"Fucking FINALLY!! Do you think you assholes have enough fucking questions to ask!?"

Yuri turned around, staring in surprise at the angry blonde Russian who had stomped into the waiting room, practically fuming

"I've been out there for thirty fucking minutes! Goddamn, now I know how Loki felt!"

"I don't think it was quite that long Yura," Otabek noted as he followed behind his smaller companion

"Damn sure felt like it, or longer..." Yurio sneered, giving Yuri a pointed look that suddenly made Viktor want to dive in and defend the nurse from whatever verbal assault Yurio was about to launch at him

"Viktor's still back here? What the fuck have you been doing all this time?"

"Basic assessment," Yuri replied, crossing his arms defensively over his chest

"Riiiiight, well, I checked the fucker in, he can go see a real doctor now right?"

"As soon as one is available," Yuri replied tightly

"Ha.... fucking great, by the way Viktor, you owe Beka here your life, he remembered to snatch your wallet before we left, you can thank him in designer jackets later,"

"I'll remember to do that," Viktor sighed tiredly, forcing a small smile of gratitude Otabek's way

Atleast Otabek seemed to respect that he wasn't exactly in the mood to be lectured

<strike>Good thing they hadn't been there when Yuri was lecturing him or else Yurio would have just been encouraged</strike>

Yuri just exhaled slowly, turning to Viktor quickly and smiling sweetly at him again

"I'm going to go see if we have a room ready for you yet, ok sweetheart? I'll be right back, we can continue this later,"

But... but.... but _cute poodle nurse!_

"D-Do you have to go...?" Viktor asked pitifully, feeling absolutely and utterly _crushed_

"I'm so sorry, but I do, I promise not to be gone long though ok? I'll be right back,"

Viktor was powerless to stop him from leaving, he couldn't have gotten up to chase him if he tried, he felt so heavy and exhausted, but he wanted Yuri to come back so damn badly.....

He'd let the poodle nurse lecture him on his terrible health etiquette for hours if it meant just having him back

It was almost disturbing just how badly he missed someone he didn't even really know, within only moments of their leaving, but that was Viktor for you, quick to get attached and horrible at being left behind, like a poodle, that was what Yakov always said...

"Hey, Viktor, you any better yet?" Yurio asked as he flopped down in the chair across from Viktor

"Yes I'm fine, can we go home now?"

"Nice fucking try,"

Well it was worth a shot

"Thanks for bringing my wallet, Otabek," he added absently

All of a sudden the vast amount of talking was starting to get to him

When Yuri had been around it felt so easy, sure it was kind of painfull but it was well worth it to keep the nurse engaged in conversation, but now....

Now it felt like twenty minutes of talking had shaved years off of his life

Otabek only nodded in response

Atleast Viktor didn't have to worry about keeping _him_ engaged in conversation....

"So what was with that freaky fucking nurse? He seemed to be getting way too familiar with you, he called you 'sweetheart',"

Yurio, on the other hand.........

"He wasn't freaky Yurio, he was _nice_, and I like being called sweetheart,"

He isn't sure how, when, or in what context, but he knows as soon as those words are out of his mouth that eventually, they will come back to bite him in the ass

Everything seems to be that way where Yurio is concerned

"I'll keep that in mind then," his companion snorted, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling his phone out

"Goddamn it's late.... Beka, when's the flight again?"

"Seven,"

"Why'd we go for one that's so damn early?"

"Because it's the latest we could leave and still be there relatively on time for the meeting,"

Yurio grumbled something under his breath, reaching into his other pocket and grabbing his earbuds, shoving them into the audio jack before putting one in his ear and holding the other out to Otabek

Viktor just sighed quietly, the full weight of everything beginning to take a rather serious toll on him

He had felt atleast some small amount of energy when Yuri was around, enough to keep him actively talking and not feeling _entirely_ miserable....

But now he was essentially alone again, with the happy couple engaged in their own little world and his pain beginning to increase once more

He wondered if they could give him anything for his head or if he had screwed his chances by being overzealous with the Excedrin....

Fuck it was cold....

Were waiting rooms always this cold?

He couldn't help rubbing his arm, both to stimulate a little warmth and out of anxiety, as he glanced at the door Yuri had disappeared through moments ago

He wanted him to come back

He wanted so badly for him to come back....

He knew it was useless to wish at the door though, so instead he leaned his head on Yurio's shoulder and watched whatever was on the phone screen

"Watched" being a term used loosely as he wasn't actually paying attention

It was a compilation video of some of those really short fun videos? What were they called? Red vines? Click Clocks? Something like that....

He could vaguely tell that superhero cosplay was involved but that's where the recognition began and ended

He was starting to feel sick to his stomach again, breifly wondering if he was actually hungry or, for the millionth time that week, just nauseated

Maybe he should have eaten something at some point yesterday besides a handfull of goldfish.....

Yurio seemed a little put out by being used as an impromptu pillow but he didn't complain or shove Viktor away

.......

He must be dieing for real then, if Yurio is being _that_ compassionate

But honestly?

He could believe he was dieing

He had never felt this sick before- nowhere near it, in fact- and was actually starting to wonder if something was seriously wrong with him

What if he really _was_ terminal?

What if he had some dread, incurable disease?

What if this was the end of his journey in life?

No one _really_ ever expected to die young did they? And yet they so often did, so what if this was just... Viktor's time?

Now trembling for a completely different reason, he bit his lip hard enough to distract himself from the anxiety, to keep the worried tears at bay, and gently nudged Yurio's shoulder

"What?"

"Yura.... what if I have that thing from that scary lesbian movie you like so much?"

Yurio backed up, staring at Viktor in confusion and distaste, and paused his video, pulling the earbud out of his ear

".... _What?_"

"That movie! With the sick lesbian who cuts off her own arm! What if I have THAT Yura!? Right before I started getting sick I was staying in a hotel for that meeting with Mr. Martinez remember? What if I caught the weird hallucinogenic lesbian disease!?"

Now he even had Otabek's attention

"..... Dear god are you talking about that netflix movie that scared you half to death? First of all you don't have that, second of all she was _poisoned_, not _ill_ so you _definitely_ don't have that, and third of all you don't have any of those symptoms at all so you _don't have that_, you fucking moron, and why does staying at a hotel have anything to do with it? That's irrelevant!"

"Yura what if I was poisoned though?"

Yurio rubbed his face, muttering something under his breath that Viktor couldn't quite catch, before glancing at him over his shoulder again

"If you had been poisoned you'd be dead by now you fucking eggplant, stop trying to ruin a good movie for me,"

Viktor didn't seem to really care

He just felt so empty and anxious and like the world was spinning out of control

He couldn't get his head together long enough to be reasoned with

"What if I'm dieing though?" he wispered

"Yura.... I don't want to die..... I-I know.. I know I do the millennial sardonic humor thing sometimes but I don't really, actually, want to die! What if the universe took me seriously after those jokes!?"

"Believe me Viktor, the universe knows not to take you seriously about anything by now,"

"I don't want to die yet.... I.... I'm not ready yet.... I-I still want to spend more time with Makkachin, I .. I never even got to say goodbye to her... a-and I want kids!! Lots of them!! B-But atleast ONE! And I want to see how Supernatural ends! A-And... and I want... I want to see Yuri again... I want... I want to see Yuri!"

By this point he had actually started tearing up once more, wich was apparently enough for Yurio's demeanor to change

"H-Hey.. Viktor, calm the fuck down, you're not-"

"I'm not ready to die yet! I want to see Yuri again!"

"What's this about dieing?"

Ah.... the voice of an angel!

Turning around as quickly as his pounding head would allow, he found a very concerned looking poodle-scrubbed nurse staring back at him

"Y-Yuri...."

"Viktor what's wrong? Does it hurt that much?" he asked gently, crouching down in front of Viktor's chair and reaching out towards him

Viktor wasn't sure where he was reaching- his shoulder, his face, his head, he never even got the chance to find out, instead flinging himself forward and hugging Yuri tightly

"I don't want to die...."

"Oh... ok Viktor... Viktor sweetheart you aren't going to die ok?"

"You don't know that...."

"Ok... maybe I can't 100% swear it, but I'm pretty sure, do you want to come with me and find out 100%?"

Viktor nodded slowly, sniffing again as he allowed Yuri to help him up and back into the weelchair

"Can we come along?" Otabek asked, immediately standing up, apparently having already assumed the answer

"Sure, if you want to," Yuri agreed lightly, waving his key card at the next set of doors he was approaching, finally getting them out of the waiting room

"I've been wondering, what's your relationship to Viktor anyway? Relatives?" Yuri guessed as they walked

"Something like that, you could say," Yurio shrugged simply

Very informative, very helpfull

"We're Viktor's support system," Otabek supplied, wich would have made Viktor want to laugh if he felt any better at all, because it just sounded so damn corny and not at all accurate

"Well that.... that's very nice," Yuri smiled pleasantly

Because ofcourse he did

Because Yuri was pleasant even in the face of utter bullshit

"Viktor, you didn't tell me you had such excellent caregivers,"

Oh god don't call them that....

Viktor winced and tried to hide his face, his very red, blushing face

Something about Yuri fucking Plisetsky being called his caregiver made him feel like an old man and he was NOT up for it thanks

"Oh gross, we are NOT his caregivers!"

Atleast Yurio seemed appropriately disgusted by that too

"More like... bodyguards, sheilding a weak and defenseless animal,"

.....

Ok that was going in a direction Viktor didn't appreciate

"Oh? And what does he need bodyguarding from?"

"Nothing," Viktor pouted insistingly

"Yeah, sure," Yurio huffed, giving his hair a bit of a flip as they walked, wich really didn't make Viktor feel any better about his own situation

_His_ hair was probably flat and lifeless and looked like grey seaweed instead of the luscious silver mane he usually took so much pride in

Of all times for his hair to be unacceptable, it just had to be when he had a cute nurse he needed to impress

"Yuri," he said suddenly, deciding to change the subject before there was another opportunity for his humiliation to rise

"I believe you promised me the story of why you decided to move here?"

Before the nurse could respond, however, Yurio jumped in

"I didn't promise you jack shi- .. oh... the _other_ Yuri...."

"That's exactly why I call you Yurio from now on," Viktor smirked

"What!? 'From now on'!? Won't that be pointless when we leave and you never see this med-school drop out again!?"

"Yurio!!!" Viktor gasped in offense

"Actually I never applied to med school," Yuri corrected immediately, evidently unbothered by the blonde's insult

"I _chose_ to be a nurse instead of a doctor, it was my first choice, not my last resort,"

"Why the fuck would you do that? Don't doctors make like... an assload more money? And actually get some respect? Don't nurses still have to do the bullshit jobs like getting bitten by brats and dealing with crazy people and cleaning messes?"

Underneath the insults, Viktor noted that Yuri actually seemed... legitimately curious

That was progress

"Well yes, but nursing has alot of benefits too that being a doctor doesn't have, there's a price for wealth- so to speak, with doctors alot of your choices in how to handle things are removed, everything is a game of politics with the hospital, any tiny mistake could be career-costing, and you have to stick so strictly to the book about things... you work much longer hours and yet the actual time you spend with individual patients is severely lacking, and as a doctor in the United States you're pretty much told to only push pills and surgeries, you have to be so carefull about what procedures to recommend because if you recommend something unnecessary the hospital will be angry that you cost them money but if you neglect to recommend something that _is_ necessary you're held accountable as being neglectfull, nurses have alot more wiggle room to work with, the hospital doesn't see us as important enough to hold us to political standards, the feild isn't as competitive, and we get to focus alot more of our time on individual patient care, actually get to know who we're working with and what they as an individual person need, not just looking at a case file, we're allowed to be a little more creative in recommending treatment options, giving advice and recommendations, and filling doctors in on what we found out about our patients, without good communication between doctors and nurses, alot falls through the cracks and goes wrong, so I feel like being someone who's generally good at communication helps me alot as a nurse, maybe more than it would as a doctor who has to deal with taking orders from a higher source a little more than we do,"

He paused, flashing his keycard against the scanner of another set of doors before continuing on, the doors opening and letting the small group through

"Please don't misunderstand me, I have nothing but respect for doctors and deeply admire anyone who can put up with the immense stress that comes from the amount of education and financial cost and... the mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion they all go through... I could never manage anything like that, I'd fall over the first day, I'm just saying that for me personally I prefer the perks and costs of being a nurse than of being a doctor, in the end, I value being able to give my honest input about something more than things like prestige or potentially rising to some big advancement in the medical feild, even if people don't listen to those opinions atleast I can give them, and I value being able to be dedicate more of my time and energy to individual patients than being run between rooms quite as constantly as the doctors are,"

"Wow...." Viktor sighed dreamily, staring up at Yuri with metaphorical hearts in his eyes

"You're _amazing_ Yuri...."

"O-Oh I really don-"

"Does that ever actually make a difference?" Yurio interrupted, much to Viktor's annoyance

"That shit about giving your opinion, when does that ever really come in handy?"

"Sure it does," Yuri nodded, turning down another hallway

"Before I got my job here I worked at a private medical corporation and filled in alot on their Ask A Nurse service, my second night working there I got a call from a teenage girl who thought she was having appendicitis, after some talking we figured out she was just having cramps- but very _severe_ cramps, wich was it's own problem, I figured I would run down a few potential but innocuous reasons for why she was in so much pain, before jumping to conclusions and scaring her or asking that she come to the hospital at three in the morning, and found out that she was drinking energy drinks,"

"And that matters because...?" Yurio asked slowly

"Energy drinks almost always contain large amounts of caffeine, for some people, caffeine can cause cramping to get alot worse, even going from feeling nothing to severe pain, I told her to stop drinking the caffeine and try to drink some water instead, stayed on the phone with her for another half hour, and they started going away, I got a message from her a few weeks later that said she'd nearly quit caffeine completely and hadn't had any problems since, if I had just been going off the books we may not have been able to come to the conclusion we did or I may not have even been allowed to recommend it as hospitals can be strict about not making those suggestions,"

Yurio hummed with disinterest, evidently satisfied.... for now

But just when Viktor thought he would be able to get Yuri's attention again-

"Why did you leave your old job?" Otabek asked curiously

Dammit of all times that Viktor wanted him to be quiet.... he chooses NOW to start being talkative?!

"Oh I prefer working in the emergency department and there weren't any openings in the E.R. at my old job, so I switched over when there was an opening here,"

"Didn't that private place pay more?" Yurio asked in confusion

"Yeah,"

"So you moved from a better paying, more relaxing job, to one that's more stressfull and pays less?"

"I guess so,"

"......What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Yurio!" Viktor huffed tiredly, pouting up at Yuri as the nurse finally came to an empty room at the end of the hall and weeled him in

"I am so sorry about my... _freind_.... he's so rude-"

"Trust me it's ok, I've heard much worse," Yuri promised politely, coming to a stop in front of the bed

"Do you need help getting up Viktor?"

"O-Oh no no, I've got it really,"

Yuri looked pretty skeptical of that, and as Viktor shakily rose to his feet and started to move.....

He realized that Yuri had good reason for that skepticism because he felt horribly faint and nearly fell forward, only to be caught by the pretty nurse with seeming ease

"Carefull there, why don't you let me help, ok?"

Viktor, red-faced, only gave a small nod, allowing Yuri to help him lay down on the bed

"Th-Thanks..."

"Ofcourse, I have to go take this back, but I'll be right back, ok? Just try to relax for me, can you do that Viktor?"

Viktor nodded again, his heart practically exploding at the sweet words and gentle tone Yuri was using before the nurse waved politely at him and pushed the chair out of the room, vanishing around the corner

"I think I'm in love," Viktor sighed dramatically, feeling his entire body sag

...

Ofcourse that could have also just been from the exhaustion

"Whatever it is you're feeling Viktor, I really don't think that's 'love'," Otabek said flatly, though Viktor knew from experience that he didn't mean it as an insult, he was just trying to look out for Viktor

It was funny to be honest, despite the fact that he and Otabek didn't really know eachother very well- Otabek was really more Yurio's freind than Viktor's own- the other man was rather protective of Viktor

"N-No, I'm SURE that I'm in love!" Viktor insisted as he stared up at Otabek, pouting like a child

"I can't explain it, but when Yuri is around.... it's as though the world is brighter somehow,"

"To be fair though, he _does_ have the drugs," Yurio added flatly

Viktor did not appreciate that comment in the least

"This has got nothing to do with any kind of drugs! Yuri makes me happy! He's nice to me and he cares about me and-"

"_And_ it's his job to be nice and take care of you and has nothing to do with you personally, you know that right?"

Viktor looked like he was going to burst into tears

Thank God that Yuri was there again a second later

"Ok Viktor, Dr. Okukawa is going to be here in a few minutes, until then-"

Yuri paused, taking in the look on Viktor's face and immediately frowning with concern

"Viktor? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing," Viktor said softly, blinking back his tears and forcing himself to appear more positive

"Just... a sudden burst of pain, that's all,"

"Where?" Yuri asked with concern, making his way to Viktor's side

Ah, that was a good question, he couldn't very well tell Yuri that he was suffering from heartache now could he?

"My head," he replied, going with the safest option

His head was still killing him, so he was hardly lying

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," Yuri frowned sympathetically, his eyes seeming to scan over Viktor for a short moment before he stepped over to a rolling cart in the corner and grabbed a pair of latex gloves

"Is there anything you can give him for that?" Otabek asked with concern

"For pain? I hope so but we'll have to see, it'll depend on a few varying factors like diagnois and weather or not Dr. Okukawa thinks she can give him anything without it conflicting with the Excedrin he took,"

Great.....

Oh well, Viktor wasn't _that_ upset by the unfortunate turn of events, atleast Yuri was back with him again and he was feeling a little bit better by being in his pressence

"Have you ever had Chicken Pox?" Yuri asked as he snapped the gloves on, wich sent a pleasant little thrill through Viktor's body at the sound of

"No,"

"Measels?" he asked, heading over to a supply closet in the corner of the room

"No,"

"Meningitis?"

"No,"

"Let me save you some time here," Yurio said suddenly, arms crossed over his chest

"He's never had any of the things you're going to _ask_ if he's had, and I just did the stupid fucking papperwork to prove it, the worst he's ever had from an illness was when he three and he got so damn dehydrated from a stomach virus that he had to be hospitalized,"

"Wow Yura, I'm legitimately impressed that you even know that," Viktor noted with surprise

"Yeah well I had to memorize that kind of shit when Yakov sent us over here to keep an eye on your ass, I probably know more about your medical history than you do,"

"Mm, probably," Viktor agreed with a small nod

"I noticed you said 'worst he's ever had from an _illness_', do you mind if I ask about that?" Yuri asked as he stepped away from the closet, an IV bag and pole in hand

Yurio seemed to notice it at the same time that Viktor did, his eyes widening and a quiet "_oh shit_" being muttered under his breath

"You can ask anything you'd like Yuri, but... ah... please don't put an IV in," Viktor frowned, holding his arms close to his chest and leaning away from the edge of the bed

Yuri smiled sympathetically, but kept walking

"Needle phobe huh? I get it, I am too, but I _promise_, I'm very gentle and very fast, you won't even notice it,"

"I-I don't doubt that but I really, _really_, don't want to go through with this, I just- .. I just _don't_, y-you have to respect that... right?"

Surely Viktor was in the legal right here, wasn't he?

Yuri's expression shifted, looking... genuinely sad

Not annoyed, not put-out, just _sad_

"I do, and I would respect your decision regardless of hospital policy, even if I disagree with it, I am never, _ever_, going to force you or make you _feel_ like I'm forcing you into anything, ok? You have my word, if you say no, then I'm not going to push you, _however_, I need to inform you that you're dehydrated, you need fluids, so if you don't have the IV, then I need you to drink some water for me, ok? Now from what I understand, you're havng trouble holding anything down and I really don't want you getting worse, so can we maybe compromise? If you can drink enough water to make me happy then I promise I won't ask about the IV again, but if you can't, then you'll have to promise me that you'll atleast be open to _discussing_ the IV, does that sound fair?"

Viktor nodded eagerly, a slight blush on his cheeks as Yuri moved the IV stuff back to the closet, allowing Viktor to sigh in releif

"Ok, I'm going to trust you to uphold your promise then," Yuri said with a gentle smile, crossing to the sink in the corner of the room and grabbing a plastic cup from the cabinet above it

Vitktor, in the mean time, was exhaling, recovering from what felt like a near heart attack

"So can I ask about the other thing?" Yuri asked as he filled the cup with water

"The 'worst from an illness' thing?"

"O-Oh yes, what do you want to know?" Viktor replied, happy for the change of subject

"I was just curious what you meant by that, have you sustained any major injuries or undergone any serious medical proceedures like surgery?"

"Um, no surgeries, but I've had quite a few injuries yes, though I'm not really sure how you would define 'serious'," he answered as Yuri brought him the water and carefully handed it to him

"How much of this do I need to drink?"

"As much as you can, but take it slowly so your stomach doesn't get too upset, I can also offer you ice chips if you think that'll suit you better, and I would define 'serious' as anything worse than your broken arm,"

Viktor frowned a little, staring down at the cup with a bit of intimidation

"How much do I have to drink for you to take the IV totally out of the equation?"

Yuri looked sympathetic... but still considerably serious as he pulled a rolling stool up to the bed, pullin the cart next to it, and sat down, starting to sift through one of the cart drawers

"Make a dent in that and we'll talk, ok?"

Viktor nodded slowly, taking a sip and immediately wincing at the pain it caused in his throat

Already he hadn't been enjoying how irritated his throat was from talking, but the water _definitely_ made it worse

"Um... ice chips might be nice yes... and yes I've had worse than the broken arm,"

"How much worse?" Yuri frowned worriedly, grabbing a penlight from the cart and scooting closer to Viktor

"Um... let me see... I've had stitches a couple of times... a few concussions, my nose got broken once too,"

Yuri was staring at him with what could only be described as startled concern, his mouth slightly open

"Ok I'm hesitant to ask this, but why have you had so many serious injuries in the last twenty-seven years?"

Viktor tensed slightly, restraining the urge to wince

He couldn't exactly tell Yuri that he was the son of a mob boss and had made the choice as a teenager to ditch the mafia life and move here....

"I'm openly gay and grew up in Russia,"

Atleast none of that was a lie, and several of the fights he had gotten into _had_ been due to his sexuality.... those were just typically the ones that he _won_...

Yuri blanched at this information though, looking as if he had just stepped on a turtle or something

"I... I'm so sorry..."

"O-Oh, no please, don't feel bad, I wan't intending that at all," he said quickly, reaching out to gently take Yuri's hand

"I just... meant.... that's where all that came from, that's why I moved here, that's all,"

"No I.. I know you didn't mean... I'm sorry, I uh.. just got a little emotional," he explained with a blush, clearing his throat as he shone the light into Viktor's eyes

Viktor winced, flinching but trying his hardest to force himself to keep his eyes open

"I'm going to check your blood pressure next, ok sweetie?" he said as he pulled away

Viktor's lips twitched upwards, feeling happy little pinpricks of joy flutter under his skin

That name... it was just... _marvelous_, it made him so happy that it had his head almost spinning

Yuri reached into the cart again, pulling out a blood pressure cuff, but before he could take Viktor's arm, someone interrupted them

"Um, hey Yuri? Can I borrow you for a sec? Things are a little _bananas_ at the moment?"

Yuri, apparently understanding what Phichit meant alot better than Viktor did, went pale and immediately stood up, offering Viktor a sympathetic smile

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, I'll be back in one minute ok? I'll bring you those ice chips on the way back,"

Viktor pouted, but nodded in agreement as Yuri started hurriedly out of the room to join Phichit in the hall

"And bring back that damn doctor!" Yurio screeched, much to Viktor's displeasure

"Yura don't be so rude," he said with a sigh, staring down listlessly at the cup of water in his hands and feeling his stomach churn just staring at it

"Hey Otabek, could you do me a favor?" he asked weakly, successfully drawing the other man's attention

"Could you drink half this water? I promise I haven't touched it yet,"

"...Viktor, no offense, but there is no amount of money that you could offer me to go _near_ that cup,"

"But I haven't touched it..... you won't get sick....."

"That's not what I'm concerned about, I am not going to help you _cheat_ out of getting _hydrated_,"

"But Beka!! You _know_ I can't tolerate needles, and just looking at this water is making me feel ill... and I can't throw up _now_, not in front of Yuri, it'll ruin my image..."

"Your image as a dieing man?" Yurio asked blandly, much to Viktor's continued pout

Viktor sighed, wondering if he could get up long enough to pour half of this down the sink, also wondering if the other two would rat him out if he did...

He considered it, but even the thought of _sitting_ up was daunting to him, the thought of _standing_ up seemed impossible...

"Yurio? Could I pay you to-"

"_No_, I'm not helping you lie to your nurse, if you want to lie to him, do it on your own,"

"Well that's just mean..."

Ah... just like the last few times, Viktor was starting to crash

It was kind of weird, he seemed to get a small boost of energy when Yuri was around, the pain lessened enough to be tolerable, he could talk and joke and the non-ending pain in his head dulled enough to be kind of ok, but as soon as Yuri left, everything returned full force

He just sighed, not having the energy to argue anymore as he reached out and set the water on the table next to him, his eyes drooping

He felt so exhausted all of a sudden, whatever adrenaline had been coursing through him that kept him communicating and able to present himself as half-ass normal had definitely drained out of him like water out of a faucet, and now he was barely able to keep himself functioning at all

He felt like he had just been slammed into a wall and he was slipping rather quickly down the rabbit hole of tiredness and pain

Otabek and Yurio were talking about something in the background but Viktor had tuned them out, his head was pounding so damn hard....

The room was spinning, his ears were ringing, everything was so loud and so bright and--

"Sorry about that, I had a little emergency to attend to,"

Viktor perked up at the sound of Yuri's voice much the same way a lonely dog perked up hearing the voice of their master

"I brought you some ice chips, are you doing ok sweetheart?" Yuri asked worriedly as he approached, immediately sitting next to Viktor's bed again and reaching out to gently tilt his head up, looking into his eyes

Viktor knew within reason it was for medical purposes, but he couldn't help wishing it was Yuri staring longingly into his eyes in a romantic sense instead

"I'm... weird, honestly," he confessed softly

"You can say that again," Yurio grumbled from across the room, wich Yuri seemed mildly displeased by but he wasn't giving it much attention

"Weird how?"

"It's just.... you make me feel so much better Yuri, when you're here I feel somewhat ok, still sick but... not like I'm on death's door, but when you leave I just _sink_, I don't understand..."

Yuri frowned, his expression a little tense as he stared down at Viktor, distracted as he grabbed the blood pressure cuff

"I'm... sure it's just your adrenaline, you seem to really like people, and I've been told I have good bedside manner, you'd be surprised at how much a little comfort will make you feel better... you're probably just getting a boost by being around someone who makes you feel comfortable,"

"I don't think that's it," Viktor frowned as Yuri wrapped the cuff around his arm and turned it on

"Mm, maybe you're nervous around me? You said doctors and hospitals make you nervous right? It stands to reason I would too, but that nervousness is impacting you positively because, again, it's giving you a little bit of an adrenaline rush,"

Viktor was about to deny that, but Yuri beat him to it

"But we can talk about it in a minute ok? Did you know that talking actually raises your blood pressure? I need you to be quiet for me for just one minute so I can get an accurate read on this, ok sweetie?"

Viktor pouted, but he nodded like a good boy anyway

"Thank you sweetheart," Yuri smiled warmly

Wow, Viktor would just spend the rest of his life never saying another word if he could get THAT reaction every five minutes

"Where's that doctor you promised anyway?" Yurio grumbled irritably, crossing his arms over his chest

"She was delayed but she'll be in soon," Yuri promised with a gentle smile, taking the blood pressure cuff of Viktor's arm a moment later and turning to glance at the water on the table

"Have you had any of this sweetheart?"

Yurio, unfortunately, answered before Viktor could

"Not a drop and he tried to make us lie to you about it for him,"

Yuri's mouth popped open, and Viktor- MORTIFIED- sat up as quickly as he could without giving himself a head rush

"_Snitch!_" he gasped

"_Ty stuchish' na VSEKH tak? Potomu chto eto kogda-nibud' tebya ub'yet, ty znayesh',_" he added in irritation

"_Nu, yesli by ty prekratil pytat'sya lgat' svoyey medsestre, ya by ne stal nasmekhat'sya nad toboy, ty, blin, kumkvat, i net, ya ni za kogo ne obnyukhivayu, potomu chto nikto drugoy ne umirayushchiy rodstvennik, kotoryy ispytyvayet moye chertovo terpeniye !_" Yurio huffed back

"Guys, please stop," Otabek sighed, rubbing his head in annoyance

"Did I... do something wrong?" Yuri asked quietly, looking up at Otabek as if he somehow had the golden answer to that question

"No no, they're just..... _discussing_ the fact that Viktor needs to take better care of himself, that's all,"

"Look Viktor, Yakov left ME to babysit your fucking ass and I'm not going to let your refusal to take care of yourself reflect on ME! _Kak ya stanu budushchim pakhanom, yesli moya pervaya rabota umirayet ot menya iz-za togo, chto ya bol'shoy grebanyy rebenok?_"

"I don't NEED a babysitter, I'm an adult and I can take care of myself! Yakov making you tag along in my life is HIS decision, not mine,"

"And apparently it's a GOOD decision because otherwise you would've let yourself die all alone in your room instead of just asking for fucking help! God, what are you? A fucking _hamster_? _YA by podumal, chto vykhod iz tolpy ULUCHSHIT vashi shansy na zhizn', no vy, kazhetsya, svyazany i polny reshimosti razrushit' ikh_,"

"Do you HAVE to bring that up? I quit for a reason Yura, SEVERAL reasons, you know that, quit rubbing it in my face,"

"I'm not rubbing it anywhere, I'm saying you should be more carefull with your life Viktor, Christ..." Yurio sighed, this time being the one to rub his head instead of Otabek

"I... agree with him Viktor," Yuri said softly, much to Viktor's shock as the nurse handed him the cup of ice chips he had brought with him

"I mean I don't know the context of your conversation, but you need to take better care of yourself, if I have to _beg_ you to let me put the IV in, I'm not above doing that,"

As if the universe had noticed Viktor's distress in that moment, they were interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Minako Okukawa

She was nice, perfectly pleasant, but Viktor took the opportunity to let himself buzz out of the conversation, rather letting Yuri fill her in on everything for him

Thankfully she didn't actually _do_ very much, most of the visit was talking, she listened to Viktor's heart and, upon Yuri's request- for some strange reason- she checked his throat, but other than that she mostly left Viktor alone to rest and <strike>pine after Yuri</strike> eat his ice chips

...

For about ten minutes

"Ok, it's almost certainly strep but we'll do a blood test just to make sure,"

Ah and there they went again

What was it about medical professionals and their rediculous love of _making people bleed_?

Viktor knew he was just being cranky about it but he was so tired and ill and all he wanted was to be left alone with Yuri so he could feel somewhat decent without other people bothering him....

"No blood test," Viktor grumbled out

"He's a bit needle phobic," Yuri said softly, as if he were telling a secret

"Ahh.... I guess that explains why there isn't an IV,"

"I tried, but he won't consent,"

Minako nodded slowly, seemingly thinking that over

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's strep, so why don't you take a throat culture and we'll have it tested? If it comes back positive then great, if it comes back negative, we'll have to revisit this blood test thing,"

"I think that's pretty reasonable, what do you think Viktor?"

"If I can avoid needles, I consent,"

He wasn't entirely sure what "throat culture" meant, maybe this was a language barrier thing, but he was up for it if it meant he didn't have to get poked and prodded like a pin cushion

"Good, I'll leave you to it then," she said with a nod, giving Yuri a thumb's up before heading back out

"Well Viktor, the good news is that I'm very good at this, I've never had anyone gag on me yet, and I've been with some people who have _very_ sensitive reflexes," Yuri mused as he pulled his gloves off to exchange them for a cleaner pair

Viktor thought it was a little unnecessary but he wouldn't argue it

"Oh Yuri," he said softly

"I promise you, gagging will not be a problem with me,"

"Good," Yuri smiled as he grabbed a packaged cotton swab

"I'm going to need you to sit up though, ok? I don't want to choke you with this, and even if you don't gag, you could still choke,"

....

God, he HAD to be doing this on purpose

"Anything for you Yuri, though I really wouldn't worry about choking me either, basically, you don't have to worry about sticking anything down my throat," Viktor promised with a wink

"Oh _gross_," Yurio sneered from across the room, shaking his head in shame

Yuri seemed momentarily confused, but ultimately shrugged it off before sliding closer to Viktor and standing up, one hand on the wall behind Viktor's head, the other behind his back, presumably holding the cotton swab

"Ok sweetheart, I want you to open your mouth and close your eyes for me, try to relax, and I'm going to count to three, alright?"

Viktor felt a little like a child as he nodded and followed orders, but that was ok, it really wasn't a _bad_ feeling, just... different, that's all

Maybe even kind of a good different

"Great job, now... one... two.... did you know that heroine was originally given as medicine to children?"

Wait what?

"Three, all done,"

Viktor.... blinked

He was so unsure of what to do with that information that he just stared flabberghasted in Yuri's direction

"What the hell was that?"

"I told you I was good at it," Yuri smiled as he grabbed a plastic bag from the cart next to him

"The-...but....-??"

"It's a trick to keep people from tensing up when I go to swab them, distract them with a bizarre fact out of nowhere and they won't know what hit them,"

"That's kinda cool... is it a true fact?"

"Yeah, it was in the 1890s and early 2000s,"

"Wow..." Viktor breathed, wich only served to amuse Yuri even more

"Ok sweetie, I'm going to get this to the lab downstairs, I'll be back to check on you soon ok? In the mean time, just relax and keep eating your ice chips, can you do that for me?"

"Yes... yes, I can," Viktor promised with a nod, much to Yuri's apparent delight

"Perfect, thank you,"

And then he was gone again, much to Viktor's displeasure

But atleast he didn't have to be bothered by that for too long, because it only took a few minutes of laying in comfortable silence, with the weight of his illness pressing down on him, before Viktor finally fell asleep for a little wile

~+~

"Hey Lover Boy, your man cruh is back,"

Groggily, Viktor opened his eyes, forcing himself into some sort of awareness as he glanced over his shoulder and watched excitedly as Yuri stepped back into the room

"Hey sweetheart, doing any better?"

Viktor wasn't sure what would make Yuri think that he was, but maybe it was just one of those "curtosy" questions that he was supposed to ask even though he already knew the answer

"I am now that you're here," Viktor smiled back weakly

Yuri smiled back fondly, moving to sit next to the bed again

"You're so sweet," he said with a chuckle

"I have good news for you,"

"You do?" Viktor asked excitedly, sitting up a little himself

"I do, your strep test came back positive, meaning we don't need to do a blood test,"

"Oh thank god," Viktor sighed, crashing back on the bed immediately

"It also means that we know your diagnosis and can prescribe you some medicine that will make you feel much better, have you ever had strep throat?"

"A few times,"

"So you know the drill then?"

"Yeah," Viktor sighed with displeasure

"Ten days of penicillian twice a day in pills so huge that you could probably use them as projectile weapons,"

Yuri snort-laughed at that, putting a hand over his mouth quickly and shaking his head

"I feel you on that one, I can't tell you how many times I've choked on those things over the years and had to get replacements because I gagged and spit them out, when I was a kid my mom had to hide them in ice cream just to get me to swallow them,"

"Mmmm... I lost my gag reflex years ago so I don't think I have to worry about that much, but I wouldn't say no to ice cream,"

Yuri seemed oblivious to his innuendo, Viktor wasn't sure what to make of that

"Well I'm sure you can have plenty of that," Yuri winked playfully

"I do need to warn you though that you're quite badly dehydrated, and you have a pretty severe case, if left untreated or improperly treated, this could lead to other complications like pneumonia, I can't say that I feel too confident in your ability to take care of yourself when you're this sick, do you have someone who can take care of you?"

"Yeah, Yurio an-"

"Ummm... Viktor...." Yurio said slowly, pursing his lips as he took a step forward

"We have a flight to Russia in three hours, remember? Beka and I can't stay..."

"Is it something you can reschedule?" Yuri frowned

Yurio shook his head, a grim expression falling over his face

"It's a funeral," he replied, Yuri's face darkening a little at that

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that,"

Yurio shrugged, turning back to Viktor

"_Izvinite, Viktor, ya by deystvitel'no ostalsya, yesli by my mogli, no vy znayete, chto proizoydet, yesli my ne poyavimsya,_"

"_YA ponimayu, ya ne vinyu tebya,_" Viktor said softly

"Well, if you don't have any other caretakers, I could admit you for a day or two for dehydration, wich I should probably do anyway, but you really do need to reconsider about the IV," Yuri said softly

"No," Viktor said quickly, shaking his head

"I... I want to spend more time with you Yuri but being in a hospital, especially alone... I'm sorry, it's just too much for me, especially with the needles..."

Yuri pursed his lips, going quiet for a few moments before ultimately heaving a sigh and forcing a smile

"Ok honey, like I said, I'm not ever going to force you to do anything ok? We'll come up with a solution, but you can't take care of yourself like this, and I'm going to get some fluids in you one way or another,"

Viktor's lips ticked up into a grin, preparing to make a _very_ clever innuendo- in his opinion- but Otabek clearing his throat ultimately stopped him

"I have to do something for now, but I'll be back in a few minutes ok? I'm going to send Phichit in to get your pharmasudical information, I'll be right back,"

"Ok, I'll hold you to that," Viktor promised, sighing quietly as Yuri walked out of the room again

And, just as had happened every other time when Yuri left, Viktor absolutely crashed

"I hate to say it but the nurse is right, you can't stay on your own for the next few days and Beka and I won't be back for atleast a week, you should come to Russia with us, ease your homesickness, it'll do you some good,"

"No way," Viktor said with a sigh, shaking his head as he hugged the pillow under his head

"I can't even get in and out of the car without feeling wobbly, I can't get on a plane like this... I don't even think they'd _let_ me,"

"He's right Yura," Otabek frowned

"I don't think we should be taking him anywhere except home, but least of all overseas, and to a cold ass place like Russia? That's just screaming 'bad idea',"

Yurio huffed, rubbing his head tiredly

"Then what the fuck do we do?"

Unfortunately, he didn't get an answer

Before either Viktor or Beka could answer, the other nurse- Phichit- popped in with a bright, sunshiney smile and an iPad

"Hey there Viktor! How are you feeling?"

"I'm... alright, thanks," Viktor replied miserably

He didn't do sympathy, and he _really_ didn't do weakness and vulnerability

"I'm sure you are," Phichit smiled sweetly as he moved to take Yuri's former place on the rolling stool

"I'm going to get some info about where to get your perscription called into ok?"

"Actually we'd probably be better off handling that for him,"

And seriously, thank God for Otabek Altin and his quickness to help Viktor out of situations like this

Viktor dozed off a little, the muffled voices of Otabek and Phichit providing background noise as he let himself drift in and out of a light sleep

It didn't last all that long though, for better or worse

Yuri was back after about ten minutes, much to Viktor's releif, but there was something about him that seemed a little different, Viktor just couldn't put his finger on what it was

"Ok Viktor, here's what I managed to come up with," Yuri said as he shifted into the rolling stool that Phichit had vacated a few minutes before

"I... really hope that this doesn't sound strange but.... I just finished my shift, and I have several days off starting tommorrow, so..... if you'd like, if.... if it's ok with you.... I could take care of you for the next few days, I have a spare bedroom and Vicchan gets along really well with other dogs so you could bring Makkachin, um... I know it's really, really strange... and I.. I hope I don't sound creepy but.... I just can't stand the idea of you trying to take care of yourself over the next few days, so if this is the only option you have...."

To say that Viktor was taken aback by the offer was putting things pretty mildly- Viktor was practically in _shock_

The nurse who he was crushing- who, it did not escape him, was _still_ a complete stranger- was inviting him to stay with him because Viktor didn't have anyone else

And he was even offering to take in Viktor's dog

_He even remembered her name_

"You remembered Makka's name..." Viktor breathed

"W-Well... ofcourse..."

"You've actualyl been listening to me all this time..."

"Yes? Did.. you think I wasn't...?"

"I... think alot of people make polite conversation just to be polite,"

Yuri's expression softened and he gave his head a slow shake

"I'm not one of those people, when I talk to someone, I listen,"

Viktor smiled at him, his heart absolutely _blooming_, if he felt better then he would be swooning, but as of now he just.. felt kind of faint

This was the confirmation he needed, the sign he needed to have to know with certainty that he would be making the right decision

"Yes," he said softly

"Yuri if... if you're _really_ sure that you're ok with it then.... then I'd absolutely LOVE to take you up on that offer,"

"Really?" Yuri breathed with releif

"Yeah, positive!!"

"_Ty uveren naschet etogo Viktor?_" Yurio asked with skepticism, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning in disapproval

"_Polozhitel'nyy,_"

Yurio didn't seem very convinced, but grumbled under his breath a quiet _"Just keep pepper spray on you..."_

There wasn't exactly alot he could do, after all

He couldn't leave Viktor all alone, he couldn't take Viktor with them, and he couldn't stay with Viktor himself, so his options were slim....

"Don't worry, I will," he promised, though Viktor highly doubted he would need it

Yuri, Viktor was absolutely certain, couldn't even hurt a fly

~+~

"Do you ever take a break from being a nurse?"

The question seemed to catch Yuri off guard, though Viktor couldn't imagine why

"Um... yes...? I mean my shift just ended and I've got the next three days off..."

"No no, I mean... yeah you just got off of work but you're going to be working on _me_ for the next few days, and then you're going back to your regular work..."

Viktor was starting to doubt that Yuri even _had_ a non-nurse mode

After getting him checked out of the hospital, Yuri weeled Viktor back into the waiting room, even giving him one of the hospital blankets- wich, despite him saying "I'll bring it back Thursday", felt like low-level theft to Viktor and he was kind of amused by it- before ducking around the corner to go change out of his scrubs

When he returned a few minues later, dressed in Hufflepuff themed sweatpants, a Buffy The Vampire Slayer t-shirt, and carrying a Wonder Woman themed backpack, Viktor ventured to think of him as being even cuter

Yuri buckled Viktor's seatbelt for him when they got in the car- wich was unnecessary, but Yuri had done it like it was second nature before Viktor could have even intervened

Now they were parking outside of the pharmacy, Viktor was still wrapped up in his blanket and Yuri was volunteering to let him stay in the car wile he picked up the medicine, he had hardly been so much as a _speck_ different from how he had been at the hospital

Viktor was rather surprised by that actually, he had really expected Yuri to be kind of... different....

But he was still so incredibly warm and eager to take care of Viktor, it made his heart flutter

...

(True that could just be the virus but still)

"This might surprise you, but I really like taking care of people," Yuri teased gently, a warm smile on his face

"No, really?" Viktor teased gently

"Really," Yuri confirmed with a laugh

"I just... I never get tired of it, I like helping, I like being needed, being depended on, even in my personal life, I really like having someone I can take care of,"

"You.... really are amazing," Viktor smiled shyly

"I can't imagine having that kind of stamina, that kind of selflessness,"

"It isn't selfless, that would mean I don't get anything out of it, and I can promise you very much that that isn't the case," Yuri smiled simply

"I feel fullfilled when I can take care of someone, I feel usefull, and it makes me feel good to be needed,"

"Well then you must feel amazing around me, because I _desperately_ need you,"

It was a joke mostly, but then Yuri reached out, gently sweeping his fingers through Viktor's bangs

"I know, and I'll take good care of you, I promise,"

....

Well then, Viktor might just die in Yuri's car, with the way he felt at the moment, not sick like before- although he very much was still _that_\- but from the indescribable sensation of want and adoration and feeling _cared for_....

"Ok, I'm going in, do you need anything else? Any particular kind of food or drinks?"

"No, I'm good, thank you though,"

Yuri nodded, smiling one last time before getting out of the car and locking it for Viktor's safety, hurrying to the drug store entrance

Viktor, in the mean time, sighed as the familiar crashing sensation pounded against him, sinking a little in his seat and sighing as he settled against his seat

He just felt sicker and sicker, and to make matters worse, he was starting to feel paranoid too

Every car door shutting, everytime the automatic doors to the store opened, every... fucking... _BIRD_ that happened to pass by... it just drove more and more anxiety, and the loneliness.... the overwelming, paranoid _loneliness_.... it was crippling

He only managed to last for about two minutes n the car by himself before leaning over and manually unlocking the door, sliding out and feeling a horrible wave of wooziness hit

Taking a shaking breath, Viktor forced himself to keep going, to shut the door behind him and stumble into the pharmacy

He was feeling worse and worse, and the more he moved, the dizzier he felt

But as he started stumbling through the pharmacy, he soon caught sight of his new freind and perked up a little, trying to hurry to his side, knowing that the sooner he got to Yuri, the closer he got to him, the better he would feel

He was getting ready to call out to him, noticing that he had a small basket of goods already- a few boxes of fever patches, a bottle of ginger ale, and..... aww.... a little carton of ice cream....

Yuri really was an angel, Viktor was convinced

But as he approached, he happened to glance down and saw- .........

Well... Yuri definitely wasn't human but he definitely wasn't an angel either

There was a big fluffy black tail swishing behind him, poking out from beneath his t-shirt and above the waistline of his sweatpants

For a minute, Viktor was stunned silent, wondering if he was hallucinating things, but...

Blinking, and finally forcing himself forward, he slowly wrapped his arms around Yuri's torso, clearly taking the nurse by surprise

"V-Viktor! What are you doing in here?"

"I'm sorry Yuri, I got nervous being in the car by myself, can I stay with you instead?"

"Ofcourse sweetheart," Yuri sighed softly, clearly relieved that that was all it was

"I need to go lock the car again though, don't I?"

"Yes, I'm sorry,"

"No no sweetie, don't apologize," Yuri said softly, squeezing Viktor's hand

"I'll lock the car ok? I can do it by remote so I don't have to leave you here alone," he explained, starting to drag Viktor towards the door, likely intending to leave him in the doorway with the basket and step out just long enough to click the remote, but before he could get that far, Viktor tugged on his sleeve and stopped him

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Ah... well.... I noticed something that you might want to be... _aware_ of...."

And before Yuri could ask, before Viktor could possibly humiliate them both further, he reached down and gently stroked his hand down Yuri's tail

He had never seen a person turn so pale so quickly in his entire life

~+~

"I'm sorry.... you must really think I'm a freak..."

"What? No, ofcourse I don't!!" Viktor insisted with a frown

"I think you're AMAZING!! A _werewolf_... that's the coolest thing in the entire universe and I'm blessed and honored that you would allow me to know about your precious secret,"

"It wasn't exactly a choice...."

Yuri had just been so tired from a long shift and then with the full moon being out... Yuri's control had just _slipped_ for a moment

It was a blessing that Viktor had been the one to find his tail and point it out instead of some random person who could have very well gotten Yuri killed, but that didn't mean that Yuri had wanted him to know

"I know, I'm sorry about that, but for what it's worth, I think you're great!!" Viktor beamed, looping his fingers around Yuri's

"Th-Thanks...." Yuri mumbled shyly, his face turning red

"Ofcourse, hey... do you think this has anything to do with why I always feel so much better when you're around than when you're not? Some werewolfy magic or something?"

"I don't know, it really doesn't work like that... the only reason it would is if you were actually my mate,"

"Your.... mate...?" Viktor asked slowly, lighting up like a ray of sunlight as he wrapped his arms around Yuri's shoulders- good thing he was pulling into his driveway...

"You mean that's a real thing!? Oh my god yes yes yes PLEASE let me be your mate!"

"I-It isn't really a choice Viktor, it's just.... _nature_...."

"Well how do you know if I'm your mate or not?" Viktor pouted as he leaned back, tilting his head

"Um... it's all in your scent... wich I haven't been able to get an accurate read on because you're sick, wich clouds things, and because we've been in the hospital all night and there are so many overpowering scents there that it screws up my nose a little, but after we get inside I can clear my senses and should be able to tell..."

Yuri didn't sound very confident, but Viktor was SURE that they were destined to be together

"I just don't want you to be upset though if we're not, ok sweetheart?"

"I promise," Viktor, the fucking liar, smiled brightly as Yuri turned off the engine and got out of the car

Wow, talk about an amazing night, yes he had just gotten back from the emergency room because he was so sick that he felt like he was dieing but ALSO he just met a werewolf who he's probably destined to marry soooo....

Yuri smiled at him, soft and sweet, and got out of the car, wasting no time in moving to the passenger's side and opening Viktor's door for him, helping him out and then letting Makkachin out of the back before guiding them both into his house

"I feel kind of bad not telling you about the werewolf thing before letting you agree to stay with me, it feels a little... dishonest... but-"

"But I understand perfectly well why you had to do thins that way," Viktor promised with a gentle smile

"I get it, don't worry, it's life or death for you, you shouldn't expose your secret to a total stranger just because you want to be honest,"

"You're... awfully understanding of this..." Yuri mused as he opened the door, letting Makkachin into the house first before helping Viktor inside

"Well sure, you'd have to be crazy to expect a supernatura person to expose their secret before they're pesonally ready, it's just common sense that a secret like that could get you killed, sort of like... telling someone that you're in the mob, or... _used_ to be in the mob,"

"Yeah, I guess you could compare it to that,"

Viktor's lips tensed, a slightly pained look on his face

"Yuri..."

For a long moment, they were quiet, Yuri seeming to be confused by the analogy, before finally, slowly, the realization seemed to hit him

".....Y-You.... are you...?"

"I was," Viktor confessed

"My father is the pakhan, the leader, I was born into it but I realized as a teenager that I didn't like being involved, I couldn't stand all of the politics or... or hurting people... so I left, but because I'm still the son of the pakhan, I'm in danger by association, and my father doesn't want me to be alone, even living countries- _continents_\- away, so he sent Yurio and Otabek to uh... keep an eye on me, I guess, you know, like bodyguards?"

"So they hadn't been joking about that...?"

"Afraid not,"

Yuri looked.... much more stunned to learn about this than Viktor had been to learn that Yuri was a werewolf

He wasn't sure what that said about either of them to be honest

"I ah... I really hope this doesn't change anything between us..."

"I-It doesn't!" Yuri said quickly, shaking his head

"I.. sorry it was just a little um... _surprising_..."

"That's perfectly valid," Viktor laughed as Yuri lead him to the living room and gently let go of him so that Viktor could crash on the couch

And god, oh _god_, that felt _great_, thank Heavens

"I'm... I'm fine with it though, I mean... you _did_ quit... I can't hold your family against you, not any more than I'd hope you could hold my species against me,"

"Wich I don't _at all_, because it's cool,"

"So you've mentioned," Yuri smiled teasingly, sitting on the couch and very gently moving Viktor's head into his lap

And Viktor was.... _very_ appreciative of that, eagerly snuggling against Yuri's skin and practically melting when the nurse started stroking his fingers through his hair

"Well it's awesome," Viktor pouted

"I'll have to protect you though, if I _am_ your mate, the mafia is dangerous you know, even if I'm not actively involved in it, you could get hurt,"

"Funny, I was just thinking the same about you, werewolves- and the humans that travel around with them- live pretty dangerous lives too,"

"Then I guess we'll just have to protect eachother, huh?" Viktor grinned softly up at the nurse

Yuri was smiling back, expression as warm and inviting as ever

"I guess we will,"

With that, he leaned down, still stroking Viktor's hair, and inhaled, his eyes flashing gold for a faint moment, Viktor's heart speeding up- and this time he was _sure_ it wasn't because of the illness

"Does.... that mean something?" he asked quietly

Yuri's lips ticked up into a grin- something much more intense and... _predatory_.... than the warm, sweet smiles he had been giving all night

"It does,"

Excited, Viktor rose up a little more, ignoring the way his head was spinning, and gently cupped Yuri's face, dragging him down closer

"Werewolves can't get sick, right?"

"Right, I'm surprised you knew that,"

"Eh... I'm a big fantasy and horror fan," Viktor beamed back crookedly, wich made Yuri laugh with amusement, much to the other's delight

"Then.... I can do this?" he asked quietly, leaning up just a little more and gently- _so_ gently- pressing his lips against Yuri's

It was even better than he could have dreamed of it being

It was sweet and soft and Viktor's heart was racing in delight and he felt so _great_ all of a sudden and-

"You can," Yuri said suddenly as he pulled away

"_After_ you take your medicine,"

Viktor pouted like a child, collapsing weakly back into Yuri's lap

"But Yuuuuuuurriiiiiii, I feel better already!!!"

"Then imagine how great you'll feel after you've taken your medicine," Yuri replied, very gently lifting his mate's head off of his lap and setting a pillow under it instead

"You're relentless as a nurse, do you know that?" Viktor huffed

"Oh I'm _very_ well aware, you haven't even seen the worst of me,"

Viktor chuckled, hugging the pillow as he watched Yuri head to the kitchen

"Believe me Yuri," he said softly, unaware of if Yuri could hear him or not, and not even particularly caring either way

"I'm quite sure that even at your 'worst', I'll adore you more than I would adore anyone else at their best,"

After all, Viktor felt like he was dieing when Yuri wasn't around, and when he was, he felt well enough to actually _function_

Just imagine how amazing Viktor would feel around him when he was no longer as sick as a dog- or... well, in this case, he supposed, sick as a _wolf_

**Author's Note:**

> Russian translations, in chronological order:
> 
> Ty stuchish' na VSEKH tak? Potomu chto eto kogda-nibud' tebya ub'yet, ty znayesh'- Do you snitch on EVERYONE like that? Because it'll get you killed someday, you know  
Nu, yesli by ty prekratil pytat'sya lgat' svoyey medsestre, ya by ne stal nasmekhat'sya nad toboy, ty, blin, kumkvat, i net, ya ni za kogo ne obnyukhivayu, potomu chto nikto drugoy ne umirayushchiy rodstvennik, kotoryy ispytyvayet moye chertovo terpeniye !- I stopped you from lying to your nurse, I didn't SNITCH on you, you motherfucking kumquat, and no I don't snitch, but I'm not letting another of my family members die!  
Kak ya stanu budushchim pakhanom, yesli moya pervaya rabota umirayet ot menya iz-za togo, chto ya bol'shoy grebanyy rebenok?- How am I ever going to become the pakhan if my first job dies on me because he's being a big fucking child?  
YA by podumal, chto vykhod iz tolpy ULUCHSHIT vashi shansy na zhizn', no vy, kazhetsya, svyazany i polny reshimosti razrushit' ikh- I would have thought that getting out of the mob would IMPROVE your chances at life but you seem bound and determined to destroy them  
Izvinite, Viktor, ya by deystvitel'no ostalsya, yesli by my mogli, no vy znayete, chto proizoydet, yesli my ne poyavimsya- I'm sorry Viktor, we'd stay if we could, really, but you know what will happen if we don't show up  
YA ponimayu, ya ne vinyu tebya- I get it, I don't blame you  
Ty uveren naschet etogo, Viktor?- Are you sure about this, Viktor?  
Polozhitel'nyy- Positive
> 
> I also intended for Phichit's "bananas" comment to come back up somewhere but sadly I never found the right spot; it's meant to reference to Yuri that something supernatural is going on


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